Friday, December 28, 2012

A state map of the
planned 45-mile highway from Route 7 in Ashburn, past the west side of
Dulles Airport, down to Dumfries and I-95 in Prince William County.
(Virginia Department of Transportation - Office of Intermodal
Planning and Investment)

The major North-South highway that
is being planned for Loudoun and Prince William counties got a public
rollout of sorts last week. “Open houses” were held at Stone Bridge High
School in Ashburn and the Four Points Sheraton in Manassas. There were
no formal presentations for this new “Northern Virginia North-South
Corridor,” just a series of informational boards that showed roughly where the limited-access highway would go and why local and state officials think it’s needed. . . .

The main stated goals of this highway are to increase the freight
tonnage going in and out of Dulles International Airport (it would run
just west of the airport) to further juice up the region’s economy. It
would also improve traffic between Loudoun and Prince William as they
continue to grow. Many who drive congested Route 28 or two-lane Route 15
to head north or south at peak hours would welcome an alternative.

Environmental and smart-growth groups say that east-west traffic and
mass transit are what need money and attention, and that a new
north-south road without mass transit just creates more sprawl and more
traffic. . . .

Meanwhile, the project continues to have the feel of a done deal. The
local governments in Loudoun and Prince William are on board, as is the
National Park Service (the highway will stream along the western edge of
the Manassas battlefield). Developers are ready to turn long-vacant
properties in Loudoun and Prince William into new residential and
commercial hives. . . .

About RCA's Reston 20/20 Planning Initiative

The goal of RCA's Reston 20/20 Committee--a committee of the Reston Citizens Association--is to elicit, organize, and represent to government officials, including the county's Reston Master Plan Special Studies Task Force, on key community issues a vision of what Reston's citizens believe a 21st Century Reston should become.

This blog intends to share information, elicit feedback, and generate ideas and dialogue pertinent to the activities of the Committee and the Task Force on a timely basis. We strongly encourage reader participation in this blog through constructive comments, ideas, and questions in comments or articles.

To post a comment, simply click on the "Comments" button and a blank space will show up for you to enter your comment. You may link comment to one of the identified services, post your name, or even post anonymously. The comments are moderated to ensure appropriate content--relevant, constructive, and decent. ALL points of view are welcome.

Readers may post articles they have writtenon Reston's planning efforts by submitting them to terrmayn@ yahoo.comas the text in an e-mail or either a .DOC or .PDF formatted document. We request you provide a point of contact to verify your identity. Your name, affiliation (if any), and city where you are located will be included with each article unless you wish to remain anonymous. All articles and comments will be moderated to ensure appropriate substance and language.

All Restonians are invited to participate in the Reston 20/20Committee. The committee is co-chaired by Tammi Petrine and Terry Maynard.All of its meetings are open to the public and every viewpoint is welcome . Meeting times, places, and agendas will be posted on this blog. You are strongly encouraged to attend and participate in these meetings.

Make a difference--VOLUNTEER for Reston!

The Reston 20/20 Committee is looking for Reston residents willing to help the committee advance a citizen's view of the future of Reston. Your participation may be as much--or as little--as you would like, starting with participation in periodic Reston 20/20 meetings.

If you're interested in keeping Reston a great place to live, work, & play, please contact Tammi Petrine (para1010@verizon.net) to be put on the Reston 20/20 mailing list. If you wish to volunteer, let her know your interests, abilities, and so forth, so we can match you to Reston 20/20's needs.